“She is making life around here a misery for everyone. The level of vandalism has shot through the roof since she arrived in the area.

“She seems to have the other children under her control and they do whatever she tells them. She eggs them on to behave badly.

“I’ve seen her hitting boys as well as girls and it’s clear that they’re afraid. The police and the care unit have been told all about her but the damage continues.

“She’ll disappear for a couple of days but, as soon as she’s allowed back out, the chaos starts again.”

Another worried neighbour said: “We know she must come from a troubled background and people in the area have sympathy for that.

“But there’s no excuse for this kind of behaviour. It’s got to end before someone gets hurt. We all thought the fire would be the last straw.

“But I saw her fighting with a young boy in the middle of the street a few days ago. She carries a hammer and a small bat up her sleeves.”

One woman, who had her window smashed, said: “It was like a bullet had been shot through the glass.

“I ran out and saw a group of kids and asked them who smashed my window. The young girl admitted it was her and gave me a mouthful of abuse.

“She didn’t care that I knew she was responsible. I contacted police but I don’t expect anything to happen. I only contacted them for insurance purposes. The vandalism is out of control.”

Police said they were investigating the fire at the flat and that two girls aged 11 and 13 had been connected with damage at St Monica’s and the two cash machines.

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “I can confirm two children in local authority care are the subject of a report to the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration in relation to allegations of vandalism.”

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